Guyanese children look over items for sale at a booth at the Guyanese Fun Day at Grout Park on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015, in Schenectady, N.Y. The event was held on the field used by the Upstate New York Cricket Association which was one of the sponsors of the event. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union) ORG XMIT: MER2015090616320666 less

Guyanese children look over items for sale at a booth at the Guyanese Fun Day at Grout Park on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015, in Schenectady, N.Y. The event was held on the field used by the Upstate New York Cricket ... more

Georgia Tsakopiakos of Schenectady, left, and Joanne Diamantis of Schenectady serve spanakopita at the 40th Annual St. George Greek Festival at the Hellenic Center on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015 in Schenectady, N.Y.

View of the restored Dutch gold leaf on the balcony from the stage on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015, at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, N.Y. The media was invited to view the restored balcony before lighting equipment permanently obscures the view. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) ORG XMIT: MER2015082020104007 less

View of the restored Dutch gold leaf on the balcony from the stage on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015, at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, N.Y. The media was invited to view the restored balcony before lighting ... more

View of the restored Dutch gold leaf on the balcony on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015, at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, N.Y. The side balconies will remain as seen, but lighting equipment will soon obscure the view of the main balcony. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) ORG XMIT: MER2015082020085682 less

View of the restored Dutch gold leaf on the balcony on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015, at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, N.Y. The side balconies will remain as seen, but lighting equipment will soon obscure the view ... more

Sheep and goats from Cobleskill College replace mowing the grass at Historic Vale Cemetery on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 in Schenectady, N.Y. The Natural Burial Area at Vale Cemetery is where ruminant animals are used. This area is free of herbicides and insecticides. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) ORG XMIT: MER2015072118264218 less

Sheep and goats from Cobleskill College replace mowing the grass at Historic Vale Cemetery on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 in Schenectady, N.Y. The Natural Burial Area at Vale Cemetery is where ruminant animals are ... more

You know your city has suffered some serious blows to its psyche when it has become necessary to point out that it doesn't, um, suck.

Paris doesn't suck? Of course. San Francisco? Ditto.

But I think we all can all concede that Schenectady is not Paris or San Francisco, and we all have heard people participate in the unfortunate local pastime known as Schenectady bashing.

Kelly Marr, who lives and works in Schenectady, heard so much negativity about the city from her co-workers that she felt compelled to counteract it. So she started an Instagram account dedicated to photos of the better side of Schenectady — and proving that the city doesn't, in fact, suck.

No doubt, the online world is an intensely negative place. Post a photo of a rose and some nasty Dan will come along to call you a bone-headed moron who knows nothing about floriculture.

More Information

But Marr's page is uplifting. And its positivity might explain why @schenectadydoesntsuck quickly found an audience. It has more than 3,000 followers.

Marr launched the account in April of last year, and at the time she couldn't have imagined the scene that confronted her Thursday night: Fans of her account were gathered for an exhibit of its photographs, taken by Marr and others.

And actually, several of the displayed photographs were of natural wonders and pastoral sites that are near the city but not in it. Many more were of the city — including, of course, Jay and State streets and the reviving downtown.

I asked Marr if she sensed that the perception of Schenectady is changing. The 27-year-old conceded she was too biased about the city to objectively assess that, but added that it should be changing.

"I just love the comeback it's making," said Marr, who grew up in Burnt Hills and remembers the Schenectady of her teen years as a city that barely had a pulse. "There are a lot of good things happening now."

As I left Marr's exhibit at Mabee Farm, I realized that it had been too long since I'd seen Schenectady at night. So I took Interstate 890 into the city, rolling past that iconic General Electric sign and up a newly remade Erie Boulevard.

I took a left into the Stockade, a neighborhood with no local rival for historic beauty. I went up State Street, past Proctors and the bright lights of the new buildings and restaurants. I cut over to Union Street, past the college and the lovely residential boulevards nearby. I hit a few red lights along upper Union, the region's best neighborhood business district, before exiting the city.

My mini-tour proved that Marr has it right. Schenectady certainly does not suck.

OK, I realize the path I traveled would please the Chamber of Commerce. Maybe it didn't provide a fully realistic view of the city.

I know that many of you — former residents, especially — can only see what Schenectady lost during its decades of decline. Maybe it's true that the city will never again be what it was. And yes, there are aspects of Schenectady that are downright depressing.

The jury is out, though I'm skeptical that it will do much for the city.

But for now, I'm going to follow Marr's lead and stay positive.

We're too hard on our cities around here, casually tossing out epithets like Smallbany or Troylet. The truth is that we have little gems in our hands, but we're often either blind to their charms or are too settled into the easy sterility of cul-de-sac comfort.

I should mention that Marr's page doesn't present an overly idealized, postcard view of the city. Many of its photos highlight Schenectady's gritty, intense spirit or architectural details that might otherwise escape notice.

It also doesn't shy away from photos of the city's problems. But it refuses to accept those problems with a dying city's resignation, instead focusing on the fight to keep Schenectady rising.

Included in the ongoing exhibit, for example, is a shot of a packed Proctors during an anti-poverty conference.

"All of these people are dedicated to fighting Schenectady's poverty problem," the photo caption says, "and that doesn't suck."